Reboot Your Life Often to Clear the Clutter & Restore Your Full Power
“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.” ~ Meister Eckhart
My husband, an IT professional, often reminds me to power off my computer when not in use. As he explains, the main reason is that a fresh reboot frees up resources by shutting down unnecessary programs running in the background and discarding file bits. Also, I have the tendency to open many windows and forget to close them all down. You, too?
There’s a life lesson in this. We tend toward multitasking, leaving open too many mental windows. Then unresolved memories pop up wanting our attention. This drains our emotional and physical systems. Time for a personal reboot!
Nature reboots every chance it gets. One of the hidden blessings of this pandemic is that it’s allowing nature to detox and heal itself. Without the industry and traffic, in many areas, the air is clearer and water is cleaner. It reminds us of how interdependent we are with all life on earth. The coronavirus is a wakeup call for us to respect the natural flow of life.
To reboot your life can be as simple or as complex as you want. It’s a two-part system of shutting down to rest and starting again. This article will describe how to shut down. Starting again will be considered in my next one.
Reboot Your Life Part 1: Shutting Down to Rest
First let’s outline the skills you’ll want to put in your Reboot Your Life Toolbox:
We are complex — we have a spiritual side, a serious side, an emotional side, a rational side, a romantic side, a sexual side, an analytical side, etc… We choose how much we wish to reveal to another person, in any given situation. Some things we keep absolutely secret from everyone, perhaps even ourselves. If this is true of you, you may benefit from a major life reboot. This requires you to be open to renewing your connection with all of your Parts. A thorough reboot takes patience, time and effort.
It’s easiest to do mini-maintenance reboots. To maintain life, we need healthful food, hydration, sleep, movement, relationships, and purpose. We may slip into habits and routines that don’t benefit us, so creating greater awareness of what we’re doing is key.
Step 1: For the next seven days, faithfully record the following information in your journal. Please avoid forming any judgments about yourself. Just record what is.
- Everything you eat and why. Observe how your body and mood react to it. (I was bored. Feel energized, bloated, sluggish, satisfied, hungry.)
- Everything you drink AND how you feel before and afterward. (Not thirsty, drank anyway. Felt more awake. Stressed. Had a glass of wine. Felt queasy.)
- How much and how well you sleep, including naps. (5 hours. Got to bed late. Worried about work.)
- How many hours you’re in motion with exercise, walking, chores, etc. versus how many hours you’re sitting. (Guessing 3 hours vs. 8 hours at computer.)
- Everyone you interact with and how you feel about it. (client – anxious; partner – happy; non-mask-wearer at store – irritated)
- How you feel each day overall. (bored, stimulated, stressed, empty, excited, fulfilled)
Does it seem overwhelming? You can do this! It’s only one week. It’s training you to be more mindful and aware.
Step 2: Identify that which makes you feel unwell or out of balance AND shut it down!
Review your journal and look for patterns. Let’s take food for an example. Did you feel bloated after some meals? See what they have in common. There may be ingredients your body can’t digest well. To reboot your digestive system, an elimination diet might be helpful. (Seeking your physician’s counsel is a good idea.) Remove the food you suspect your body can’t handle. This let’s your digestive system rest and heal. Strive to eat healthful, whole foods. Slowly introduce one ingredient back into your diet and see how you react. If it’s an unpleasant reaction, remove the item and let your body rest. Decide if it’s worth trying again.
Review your journal and choose another topic. Over the course of time, you may recognize you have an addiction to technology or there are negative people in your life creating drama. Or perhaps some habits no longer serve you and are zapping your energy.
As you shut down and remove activities, relationships, and products from your life, concentrate on feeling at rest. At this stage, do what makes you feel peaceful, still, whole, relaxed, full. Some techniques that help are:
When you reboot your life, you’re not just shutting down unhealthful things. You’re making room for that which energizes you. A daily reboot simply means you process today, identify that which doesn’t serve you and let it go, so you start fresh tomorrow. I love how Cora Coralina describes this process, “Recreate your life, always, always. Remove the stones, plant rose bushes and make sweets. Begin again.”
The goal is to create a system that allows you to feel as free as J. B. Priestly describes, “I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.”
Is there something standing in the way of you feeling whole and fulfilled? If you are ready to explore your options , please contact me and schedule a 30-minute complimentary consultation via Zoom. Let’s see if working together is a good fit for both of us.